Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
James Martin, S.J.February 21, 2008
Today Pope Benedict XVI received the delegates of the 35th General Congregation in the Sala Clementina in the Vatican, for a meeting that lasted one-half hour. The pope began his comments by thanking Father Kolvenbach for his service, and as the official GC35 site describes, "The Pope also urged the Jesuits to pursue their mission with and for the poor and remarked on the specifically Jesuit ministry of giving the Spiritual Exercises." Vatican Radio carried a story on today’s address here "Vatican Radio on Jesuits" The Society of Jesus, said Benedict, must "witness and help create the understanding that there is instead true harmony between faith and reason." The full text of the Pope’s remarks and the welcome from Father General Nicolas is on the official GC 35 website here, "Papal address to Jesuits"in Italian now, in English later. James Martin, SJ
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
17 years 1 month ago
Along with the commendation, the Pope also issued a serious request: 'I have invited and again I invite you today to reflection in order to rediscover the fullest sense of your characteristic 'fourth vow' of obedience to the Successor of Peter, which does not only involve readiness to be sent on mission to far-off lands, but also in the most genuine Ignatian sense of 'thinking with the Church and within the Church,' to 'love and serve' the Vicar of Christ on earth and with that 'effective and affective' devotion which should make you his most precious and irreplaceable collaborators in his service for the universal Church.'

The latest from america

Pope Francis greets Professor Joseph Stiglitz at the "Debt Crisis in the Global South" meeting at the Vatican in June 2024 (Vatican Media)
An interview on economics and Catholic social teaching with Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winning economist and a professor at Columbia University.
Kevin ClarkeApril 03, 2025
Lesson one: I had to buy more stamps.
Valerie SchultzApril 03, 2025
Celebrating the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea should give new energy to evangelization efforts, a new document from the International Theological Commission says.
In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell walk us through the pontiff’s recovery, including “slight improvements” in his speech.
Inside the VaticanApril 03, 2025